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...niland (no land) by M. Leneweit and R. Rodriguez is a visionary work about the adaptation and transformation of humankind to a life beneath the water surface. The work is based on themes of climate change and develop, particularly the way it has produced a grotesque notion of the sea's rising water table. The interface of air and water functions as the indicator of a climate influenced by humanity, raises questions regarding the ambivalence of the symbiosis human-environment and examines the stringent concurrence of climate change and cultural change.
In terms of human ecology
After reflecting upon nature, environment, art and the artificiality, we would like to present a quote as the origin of ...niland:
„If nature is defined by being the opposite of culture, does not a nature protected by culture become culture itself in this way?“ (Sieferle 1997)
Environment is a relational term and according to Darwin's „the Descent of Man“ (1871) has always referred to a species and as such been a requirement for humane perception. Shaped by this viewpoint Sir Arthur Tansley (1935) was the first to formulate the term ecosystem, developing an understanding of any habitat as a coherent, more or less closed and complete unit. In accordance, a system is the aggregation of multiple interdependent parts that function as a unit and relate to each other through reciprocal exchange or even show symbiotic dependencies. A human for example undergoes adaptation processes on micro- and macro-levels and is hence subject to the consequences of his own influence on nature. The inspiration for ...niland stems from the environmental changes triggered by humanity and the challenges that in turn force humans to adapt, consequently emphasizing the existing interdependency. Based on these considerations the work focuses on the climatic changes of the seas and constructs futuristic visions of the human self in adaption and transformation to artificially exaggerated aquatic environments. Another focus within the conceptualization of ...niland is the interface of air and water, positioned at eye-height. This borderline indicating the water level that transects the human or lets him be perceived as situated in between two elements seeks to, besides disputing the questionable symbiosis human-environment, illuminate its immanent ambivalence and guide the view towards the stringent concurrence of a cultural change connected to it.
